How Vanderbilt football can replace Langston Patterson at linebacker in 2026

This offseason, Bryan Longwell got a tattoo with the Vanderbilt logo and his number 11.

He'd wanted to get the tattoo for a while, but his mom didn't want him to have one until his final year.

"This is my home, man," Longwell said March 31. "I couldn't be more thankful for everything that it's given me. That's what I thought I should get it on, this is going to be a part of me for the rest of my life."

Longwell, a senior, is now the most experienced linebacker on the team after the graduation of Langston Patterson . He figures to once again start; joining him in bigger roles will be Bryce Cowan , Jamison Curtis and Nick Rinaldi .

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Vanderbilt football pro day features Diego Pavia, Eli Stowers

Vanderbilt tight end Emmanuel Adebi, left. and tight end Eli Stowers, right, run drills during football pro day at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 20, 2026.

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Vanderbilt football pro day features Diego Pavia, Eli Stowers

Cowan has the kind of story that isn't seen much in college football anymore. Despite limited playing time, he has been with the Commodores for all five years of his college career. In the past three years, he has started only once, but his 2025 season was his best, with 31 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks while forcing five fumbles. And Rinaldi, a pass-rush specialist, started his career as a walk-on.

"A guy like Bryce, who, going into his fifth year now, we were just looking at film from his freshman year practice a couple days ago," linebackers coach Nick Lezynski said. "It was like light years . . . and that's attestable to his hard work."

HOW'S IT LOOKING: How Vanderbilt OC evaluated Jared Curtis' spring football practice so far

Another spring standout has been Curtis, a redshirt sophomore. He played in eight games, recording four tackles and blocking a punt for a touchdown.

Despite the loss of Patterson and Prince Kollie (both out of eligibility), Vanderbilt didn't take any linebackers in the transfer portal this offseason, instead betting on the development of players like Longwell, Cowan and Curtis.

The coaching staff continuity helps, too. Lezynski had other offers this offseason, but he stayed and was elevated to co-defensive coordinator.

"We're the head coach of our units, and that's where Coach (Clark) Lea always talks about farming our own land and making sure that we're the highest level in our responsibilities," Lezynski said. "And so with that comes some autonomy, which is really, really cool."

At this point of the spring, Vanderbilt has slowed down on its installation of new concepts on the defense, and is instead honing in on fundamentals and technique. There hasn't been a lot of red zone work, either, as the team has focused on drills with three weeks to go.

Longwell has stepped up as a leader in the linebacker room, but the replacement for Patterson on the field may not be one for one.

"Rinaldi and Bryce are the front-runners, because they have so much experience and so much playing time already," defensive coordinator Steve Gregory said. " . . . There's always going to be snaps out there for (Cowan) because Langston is no longer there, and we'll see how it goes. Like I said right now, we're in the very young stages of building a team and building an identity on defense through the spring, and then as we'll go through the summer."

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at  agerson@gannett.com  or on X  @aria_gerson .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Replacing Langston Patterson at linebacker for Vanderbilt in 2026